Carton having a bag-like liner

ABSTRACT

A container comprising a carton having a freshness-preserving liner disposed therein wherein superimposed apertures having substantially wholly die-cut lineaments are opened in said carton and said liner substantially simultaneously upon opening of the container.

EJEed States Patent 1 Johnson 1 Oct. 30, 1973 [54] CARTON HAVING ABAG-LIKE LINER 2,577,304 12/1951 Brooks. 229/17 R 2,719,663 10/1955Meyer-Jagemberg... 229/17 R X [751 Invent Chimes Deer Park 3,127,0823/1964 Meyer-Jagemberg 229 7 R Ohm 3,136,471 6/1964 Brastad 229/14 BL3,269,635 8/1966 Berostein et al. 229/14 B [73] Assgnee' g s gfggf igCmpany 3,426,955 2/1969 015011 229 17 R 3,640,447 2/1972 Forbes, Jr229/14 BA 22 Filed: July 16, 1971 Primary ExaminerDavis T. Moorhead 1 1..2 l 1 [2 1 App No 8 AttorneyRichard C. Witte et al.

[52] US. Cl. 229114 B, 229/7, 229/17 57 AB TRA T [51] Int. Cl B65115/56, 365d 25/16 I l S C [58] Field of Search 229/14 R, 14 B, 14 BA, Acomm compflsmg a havmg a freshness- 229/14 BL 14 w 7, 17 preservingliner disposed therein wherein superimposed apertures havingsubstantially wholly die-cut [56] References Cited lineaments are openedin said carton and said liner UNTED STATES PATENTS substantiallysimultaneously upon opening of the con- 1 3,580,466 5/1971 Thelen 229/14BA amer 2,361,408 10/1944 Moore 229/14 BW 13 Claims, 16 Drawing FiguresPAIENIEnucI 30m: 3.768.719

sum 10F 4 INVENTOR. Charlesv L. Johnson ATTORNEY PAIENIEnntIsrJ ms3.768.719

sum 2 UF 4 Z l 53 INVENTOR A l L Charles L. Johnson A ORNEY PAIENTEuum30 ms 3.768.719

sum 30F 4 9 mw'n'l INVENTOR. Charles L. Johnson lax/W ATTORNEYPAIENTEUUEI 30 1915 3,768,719

SHEET u 0? 4 INVENTOR. Charles L. Johnson //.WN A ORNEY CARTON HAVING ABAG-LIKE LINER FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates tocontainers for products such as dry breakfast cereals and snack foodsand more particularly to a carton, or the like, having afreshnesspreserving bag-like inner liner adapted to be openedsubstantially simultaneously with the opening of the carton closure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The general practice today, to open andreclose a lined carton, entails unfolding, tearing, or unrolling thetop, closure-forming portion of the liner to open it and re folding orre-rolling the top of the liner to close it. Generally, also, the linearmust be opened independently from the carton opening operation. This isnot to say, however, that configurations of lined cartons providingsimultaneous opening of the liner and the carton have not been devised.For instance, McGinnis, U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,778, issued Apr. 22, 1952,provides opening of a bag-line liner simultaneously with opening the topof a carton. However, in doing so the liner material is ripped, formingan aperture therein having an uneven, rough, somewhat randomly shapedperimeter rather than being smooth and having a predefined,substantially wholly die-cut lineament. Opening of the McGinnis liner issomewhat further complicated because a portion of the top of the linerthat is ripped when opened is multi-ply thus requiring commensuratelyincreased stress during opening.

Nerenberg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,820,585, issued Jan. 21, 1958, alsodiscloses a means of simultaneously forming a pouring opening incontainers and liners although the opening formed in the liner is notdefined by a die-cut perforate line of weakening as in the instantinvention. a portion of the liner is stressed and secured like the headof a drum to the inner surface of the carton by a line of adhesivesurrounding a flap in the carton whereby pushing the carton flapinwardly ruptures the liner forming an opening therein.

Another approach to the problem is shown by Olson, U.S. Pat. No.3,426,955, issued Feb. 11, 1969, which discloses a combinationbag-in-box wherein a portion of an unsealed liner is pulled out of thecarton when a carton flap is opened outwardly.

Although neither McGinnis, Nerenberg et al., nor Olson provide openingsin liners defined by die-cut lines of weakening, Bergstein, U.S. Pat.No. 2,536,529, issued Jan. 2, 1951, discloses a method of producing bagswith opening means defined by forming a predetermined line of weakeningin the walls of the bag or liner so that they will tear readily alongthe predetermined line. Bergstein also teaches how to preserve theproofness ofa bag having a perforate line of weakening by coating theline of weakening and the contiguous areas of the bag walls with a filmforming substance capable of bonding tightly with the walls and capableof filling or closing perforations in the weakened line, or forming atenaceous membrane thereover. Although Bergstein recognizes theadvantage of providing a line of weakening for opening a bag andrecognizes that a line of weakening can be bridged by a sealantrendering the line of weakening substantially impervious to the passageof freshness comprising elements whereby the freshness of the contentsof the package could be preserved, he does not disclose nor suggest acombination of a carton having such an easily opened liner that isopened simultaneously with the opening of the carton.

Yet another approach to the problem, although it is not a bag in a boxper se, is shown by Meyer- Jagenbergs U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,082, whichdiscloses a means of sealing a preformed aperture in a substantiallyimpervious liquid-tight carton by securing an impervious outer coveringmember to the portion of the container contiguous to the aperture, andproviding an impervious inner covering member secured to the innersurface of the impervious carton contiguous to the aperture and sealingthe adjacent surfaces of the two covering members to each other withinthe aperture area. Meyer-Jagenberg further provides a line of weakeningin the inner covering member so that a tongue portion thereof is peeledoutwardly as the outer covering member is peeled outwardly and upwardlythereby forming an aperture in the inner covering member that is definedby the line of weakening. Because the inner and outer covering membersare both sealed to the container around the entire perimeter of thepreformed aperture in the carton, the carton is sealed withoutdependence on sealing the line of weakening in the inner foil.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide acarton having a freshness-preserving liner therein in which asubstantially wholly die-cut dispensing port of predefined shape isopened substantially simultaneously as the carton is opened.

It is another object of this invention to provide a carton having afreshness-preserving liner therein in which a die-cut line of weakeningdefined dispensing port is opened substantially simultaneously as thecarton is opened.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a recloseablecarton having a freshness-preserving liner therein in which a dispensingport of predefined shape is opened substantially simultaneously as thecarton is opened.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a recloseablecarton having a freshness-preserving liner therein in which a die-cutdispensing port of predefined shape is opened substantiallysimultaneously as the carton is opened, and wherein said carton can bereleasably latchedly reclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a containercomprising a carton having a freshness-preserving liner of barriermaterial secured therein by liner restraining means. Means havingbarrier property are provided for forming an aperture in a surface ofthe carton upon initial opening of the carton. The liner has a die-cutdispensing port in it which is smaller than the aperture to be formed inthe carton by the aperture forming means. The liner is disposed in thecarton so that the area of the liner bordering the dispensing port isjuxtaposed the aperture forming means and secured therto by aninterconnecting adhesive sealant. The sealant comprisesfreshness-preserving barrier material which renders the interconnectionssubstantially as freshness-preserving as the barrier material of theliner and the aperture forming means. The adhesive sealant includesmeans for rendering the aperture forming means partable from the linearwithout tearing the barrier material of the liner or the apertureforming means when the carton is initially opened. Thus, an aperture issubstantially simultaneously formed in the carton in superimposedrelation to the dispensing port in the liner as the aperture formingmeans parts from the liner upon initial opening of the carton.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS While the specification concludes withclaims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subjectmatter which is regarded as forming the present invention, it isbelieved the invention will be better understood from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top of one containerembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the container ofFIG. 1 having its closure in the closed and latched position.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of area 3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of area 4 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view of an alternateembodiment of the area depicted in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary perspective cutaway view of the container ofFIG. 1 illustrating a liner within a carton which liner has a seamlesstop panel in which a dispensing port forming portion is defined by aline of weakening comprising spaced die-cuts.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the container ofFIG. 1 taken along line 7--7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a reduced scale of the inner surface of acarton blank suitable for forming the carton of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the inner surface of the scoredminor flap area of the carton blank of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view of the specially scored minorflap taken along line 1010 of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top of an alternatecontainer construction embodying the instant invention.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary perspective view of yet another containerconstruction embodying the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary view of a bridged cut area of still anotheralternate container construction ernbodying the present invention havinga liner formed of laminated material. The area of this view correspondsto the area of the preferred embodiment depicted in FIG. 4.

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary view of the alternate embodiment of the presentinvention shown in FIG. 13 after the carton is opened.

FIG. 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of the top of yet stillanother alternate container construction embodying the present inventionwherein the liner has a wholly die-cut dispensing port forming portionof its top panel removed prior to completing the container.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of the container ofFlG. 15 having its closure in the closed and latched position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings and inparticular to FIG. 1, the preferred embodiment of the present inventionis container 20 which comprises carton 21 having liner 22 therein andhaving closure 23 hingedly secured thereto by hinge 24. In this view,container 20 is depicted as it would appear after adjacent superimposedapertures were simultaneously opened in carton 21 and liner 22. Furtherdetails shown in this figure will be referred to after the followingdetailed descriptions of liner 22, closure 23, carton 21 and theassembly thereof to form container 20.

Liner 22, FIG. 6, is folded from a sheet of heat sealable barriermaterial to form a bag having a seamless top panel 35, flaps 36 (onlyone of which is visible in FIG. 6) and side seams 37 (only one of whichis visible in FIG. 6), which seams are heat sealed to render themsubstantially as impervious to the passage of gases and vaporstherethrough as the barrier material of liner 22. Top panel 35 has adispensing port forming portion, removable panel 25, defined therein bya perforate line of weakening 30 comprising a plurality of cuts 27spaced by uncut portions 28.

It will be understood by persons having ordinary skill in the art thatliner 22 is substantially identical to baglike liners used extensivelyat the present time in cartons for dry cereal type products and snackfoods. However, when placed in carton 21, liner 22 is essentiallyinverted relative to carton 21 as compared to conventional orientation.Inverted orientation of liner 22 to carton 21 provides a seamless toppanel 35. Of course this makes it desirable to fill the container whileinverted, heat sealing the bottom of liner 22, and finally closing thebottom of the carton and securing it closed by adhesive or the like.

Uncut portions 28, FIG. 6, of top panel 35 of liner 22 serve to maintainremovable panel 25 in space-fixed relation with the remainder orresidual portion 32 of liner 22 when liner 22 is inserted into carton 21and secured therein as hereinafter delineated. Uncut portions 28 arerelatively short compared to cuts 27 so that they can be ruptured easilyto remove panel 25 and, when ruptured, will not materially affect thedie-cut appearance of the edge of aperture 29, FIG. 1, thus formed inliner 22. For instance, four uncut portions 28 spacing cuts 27one-thirty-second to one-sixteenth of in inch apart in a liner ofpolyvinylidence chloride coated glassine paper available from OlinChemical Co., Pisgah Forest, N.C., and identified as l l5-PCG-081 havebeen found satisfactory in the preferred embodiment of the instantinvention as hereinafter further described. This material has also beendetermined to be a satisfactory freshness-preserving barrier materialfor dry breakfast cereal and the like because it is sufficientlyimpervious to the passage of gases and vapors therethrough.

Carton 21 is fomed from blank 50, FIG. 8, made of cartonboard or thelike. FIG. 8 is a view of the inwardly facing surface of blank 50. Blank50 is conventionally cut and scored except: minor flap 53 has auxiliaryscore lines 54b, 54c and 54d; minor flap 53 is also somewhat narrowerthan end 48; and portions of major flaps 58, 59 are removed formingedges 66, 67 and 68, 69, respectively. Blank 50 is adapted to form asomewhat conventional rectangular tubular shape by securing the outsidesurface of tab 51 to the inwardly facing surface 33 adjacent edge 52,and to become a rectangular parallelepiped when the end closure formingflaps are closed and secured.

Blank 50 is adpated to form a carton 21 having a substantially wholydie-cut aperture 65, FIG. 1, in its top when folded into a rectangularparallelepiped, which aperture is defined by edges 66, 67 of major flap58, edges 68, 69 of major flap 59, and by lip 56, FIG. 7, formed byinwardly folding specially scored minor flap 53.

Specially scored minor flap 53, enlarged for clarity in FIG. 9, hasscored proximal edge 54a and auxiliary transverse score lines 54b, 54cand 54d embossed therein to facilitate forming lip 56. Minor flaps 53comprises lip-top portion 60 intermediate score lines 54a and 54b,lip-support portion 61 intermediate score lines 54b and 54c auxiliarylip-support portion 62 intermediate score lines 54c and 54d, andsecurement portion 63 intermediate score line 54a and distal edge 55.Lip 56, best seen in FIG. 7, is formed by applying adhesive 75, FIGS. 9,10, to the portions of the inwardly facing surface of minor flap 53intermediate score line 54c and distal edge 55, then inwardly foldingminor flap 53 until lip-top 60 thereof is generally coplanar with thetop of carton 21, then folding at score lines 54b and 540 until theadhesively coated portion thereof is juxtaposed with, and adhesivelysecured to, the inwardly facing surface of side 48 of carton 21. In thismanner, lip-support portion 61 of minor flap 53 becomes the hypotenuseof a structurally sound, triangular cross section tubular shape which isdesignated lip 56. Because minor flap 53 is not as wide as side 48, lip56 will be shorter than the width of side 48. This geometry results inimproved resilience of the carton during opening and closing as will befurther described hereinafter.

Scoreline 54d of minor flap 53 is provided as a backup line of flexurein minor flap 53 to enable lipsupport 61 and auxililary lip-support 62to jointly form the hypotenuse of lip 56 in the event that flexure doesnot occur as intended at score line 540. It is believed that score line54a and additional scorelines (not shown) intermediate score line 54cand distal edge 55 and parallel thereto, if provided, lessens thecriticality of adjustment of automatic equipment that might be devisedto form lip 56.

Closure 23 of the preferred embodiment having a trapezoidal depression,the distinctive features of which can best be described by referring toFIG. 7, is vacuum thermoformed from a sheet of high impact polystyreneplastic. The closure has distal end 39 comprising gripping edge W androunded nose 41. Closure 23 also includes proximal end 42 comprisingtongue 34 and registration surface 38. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, closure23 has inwardly facing surface 43 which is generally planar in theportion thereof that bridges the entire line of weakening 30 definingremovable panel 25 in liner 22 when closure 23 is closed and liner 22 isdisposed and restrained inside carton 21. Gripping edge 40 of closure 23is adapted to facilitate movement of closure 23 by hand. Rounded nose 41of closure 23 is precisely spaced from registration surface 38 by anamount slightly greater than the length of aperture 65 in carton 21which is hereby defined as the distance between edges 66, 68 and lip 56of the carton.

Closure 23 is hingedly secured to carton 21, FIG. 7, by hinge 24 offlexible, adhesive coated tape '76 in such a position that when closedor nearly closed, registration surface 38 abuts edges 66, 68 of thecarton, FIG. 2. Because the length of closure 23 is slightly longer thanthe length of aperture 65 as hereinabove stated, there is interferencebetween nose 41 and lip 56 upon opening or closing closure 23. Thisinterference requires the carton to yield during such openings andclosings. Such yielding is enabled by the resiliency of carton 21 ingeneral, lip 56 in particular, and the fact that lip 56 does not extendthe full width of side 48 as hereinbefore delineated. Thus, closure 23is latched when closed but can be reopened by acting upwardly on edge 40of closure 23. Such a latching arrangement that permits reopening andreclosing of closure 23 is hereby designated a releasably latchableclosure.

Container 20 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention isassembled by adhesively securing liner 22 inside carton 21, FIG. 6, bybands of adhesive 31 disposed therebetween around theperimeter of liner22 near the top of the side and end walls of liner 22, and by adhesivelysecuring surface 43 of closure 23 to residual portion 32 and removableportion 25 of liner 22 with adhesive sealant 26, FIG. 1, so that theentire line of weakening 30 defining removable panel 25 is whollybridged thereby. By securing residual portion 32 to carton 21 as byadhesive bands 31, as shown, and to closure 23 by adhesive sealant 26and by further securing removable panel 25 of liner 22 to closure 23 byadhesive sealant 26, as shown, when closure 23 is closed and releasablylatched, all of these elements are maintained in relatively space fixedorientation from the time of assembly until container 20 is initiallyopened.

Adhesive sealant 26 is selected with due consideration of the materialsfrom which liner 22 and closure 23 are made so that it performs severalfunctions. First, it must be a barrier material to sealingly bridgeperforate line of weakening 30 thereby rendering line of weakening 30substantially as impervious to freshness compromising passage of gasesand vapors as the barrier material of liner 22 until the container isinitially opened. Second, adhesive sealant 26 must partably secureclosure 23 to the area of residual portion 32 of liner 22 contiguous toline of weakening 30 so that they will remain space fixed relative toeach other until closure 23 is initially opened. Third, adhesive sealant26 must be selectively adhesive so that it secures closure 23 toremovable panel 25 and residual portion 32 in such a manner that uponinitial opening, closure 23 parts from residual portion 32 of liner 22,line of weakening 30 is ruptured, and removable panel 25 is removed fromliner 22 without impairing the substantially wholly die-cut appearanceof the edge of aperture 23 thus formed in liner 22.

An example of a barrier material adhesive sealant which satisfies theforegoing requirements when liner 22 of the preferred embodiment iscomposed of polyvinyldiene chloride coated glassine paper No. l 15-PCG-081 available as hereinbefore delineated, and closure 23 of thepreferred embodiment is composed of vacuum thermoformed high impactpolystyrene, is holt melt blend 214 produced by Specialty Paper Company,

Dayton, Ohio. I-Iot melt blend 214 comprises fully re-' fined paraffinin combination with Elvax 260 available from Dupont Co. Elvax 260 is ahigh molecular weight ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer. When a containercomprising this combination having four uncut portions 28 from about onethirty-second to about onesixteenth of an inch long and aperture 29about 2 /16 inches long by about 2 inches wide is initially opened, thisadhesive sealant peels away from residual portion 32 of liner 22surrounding removable panel 25. Uncut portions 28 of line of weakening31) are then ruptured rendering removable panel 25 wholly severed fromresidual portion 32 of liner 22 restrained in carton 21 by lines ofadhesive 31. Finally, removable panel 25 is removed upwardly by virtueof being adhesively secured to closure 23. The stress required to peelclosure 23 secured away from residual portion 32 of liner 22 and torupture uncut portions 28 of liner 22 is developed by acting upwardly onedge 41) of closure 23 while residual 7 portion 32 of liner 22 isrestrained within carton 21 by bands of adhesive 31.

While bands of adhesive 31 have been found desirable to maintain theelements of container in space fixed positions relative to each otherprior to initial opening to preclude premature rupturing of line ofweakening 30 and concurrent loss of freshnesspreserving capability,other means of restraining the liner within the carton will occur topersons having ordinary skill in the art. For instance, spaced areas ofadhesive rather than continuous bands of adhesive would be suitable forcertain applications but may be more difficult to apply.

As depicted in FIGS. 1 through 5 and '7, removable panel is somewhatsmaller than aperture 65 in carton 21 in order to secure the borderportion of liner 22 that surrounds removable panel 25 to a planarportion of inwardly facing surface 43 of closure 23 whereby adhesivesealant at can perform its function of adhesively securing residualportion 32 and removable panel 25 of liner 22 to closure 23 and tosealingly bridge cuts 27 as hereinbefore described until container 20 isinitially opened. F168. 3 and 4 are enlarged views of the areas of FIG.2 enclosed by circles designated 3 and 4 in order to show the bridgingand securement aspects of adhesive sealant 26 more clearly. Thus,removable panel 25, alternatively designated dispensing port formingportion 25, of liner 22 defined by perforate line of weakening 30, FIG.6, forms dispensing port 2% FIG. 1, in liner 22 simultaneously with theopening of aperture 65 in carton 21 as closure 23 is initially hingedoutwardly its closed position.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is convenient tofill container 20 embodying the instant invention through its bottomafter liner 22 is installed in carton 21 and secured thereto by bands ofadhesive 31 and to closure 23 by adhesive sealant 26. After being filledwith a quantity of product, the bottom of liner 22, not shown in thefigures, is folded closed and heat sealed rendering the bottom of liner22 as impervious to the passage of gas or vapor therethrough as thebarrier material of the liner to protect the freshness of the contentspackaged therein. Then the bottom closure of carton 21 is formed andsecured as hereinbefore delineated but not shown in the figures.

H6. 5 depicts an alternative method of securing liner 22 and removablepanel 25 thereof to closure 23 to insure rupturing line of weakening andremoving removable panel 25 when closure 23 is initially hingedoutwardly from the closed position if adhesive sealant 26 is peelable ashereinbefore delineated. An endless line of unpeelable adhesive 26' isdisposed adjacent adhesive sealant 26 intermediate removable panel 25and inwardly facing surface 43 of closure 23 to preclude peelingremovable panel 25 from closure 23. Yet another alternative would be toprovide spaced areas of unpeelable adhesive adjacent peelable seal 26 asnecessary near the perimeter of removable panel 25 to insure thestrength thereof exceeds the rupture strength of uncut portions 28 ofliner 22 intermediate cuts 27.

Although not presented in the figures, it will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art that removable panel 25 of the preferred embodiment,FIG. 1, can be wholly severed from liner 22 by a single endless die-cut27 and held in registration with liner 22 by adhesive sealant 26 untilcover 23 is initially moved outwardly as hereinbefore described ratherthan having a plurality of cuts 27 spaced by uncut portions 28. Thisprovides a neat, clean, wholly die-cut port through which the contentsof container 20 can be dispensed and whereby container 20 can repeatedlybe opened and closed without having to unfold or unroll an inner lineras in conventional cartons. Further, FIGS. 15 and 16 show an alternateconfiguration of a container embodying the present invention in whichthe material from which aperture-forming closure 23 is formed issufficiently freshness-preserving barrier material that removable panel25 has been wholly removed and discarded from liner 22 before completingcontainer 20. in this embodiment, residual portion 32 of liner 22 issecured to carton 21 as by bands of adhesive 31, H6. 16, and to closure23 as by an endless border of peelable adhesive sealant 26. Closure 23of this embodiment performs the dual function of being a means ofsimultaneously forming an aperture in carton 21 superimposed with adispensing port in liner 22 upon initial opening of closure 23. In thisevent, when the portion of closure 23 superimposed over dispensing port29 in liner 22 is transparent, the closure performs yet anotherfunction, that of being a window through which the appearance andquantity of product can be ascertained without opening container 20.

An opened, alternative embodiment of the present invention is depictedin FIG. 11. in this embodiment, closure 23' is formed as an integralelement of carton 21. Dispensing port forming portion 25' of liner 22,defined by a U-shape series of cuts 27 spaced by uncut portionstherebetween, is tongue shaped rather than being wholly removable. As inthe preferred embodiment, adhesive sealant 26 being barrier materialbridges cuts 27 until the container is initially opened rendering themsubstantially impervious to the passage of gases and vapors, and securesliner 22 and dispensing port forming portion 25 thereof to the inwardlyfacing securement surface of closure 23'. As depicted in FIG. 11, it isnot considered necessary to completely disengage dispensing port formingportion 25 of liner 22 from liner 22 upon opening container 30 in orderto practice the instant invention.

Another opened, alternative embodiment of the instant invention isdepicted in H6. 12. In this embodiment dispensing port forming portion25" is a tongue shaped portion of liner 22 formed by a single U-shapecut 27 that is formed by an unnicked knife blade or the like. in thisconfiguration portion 25 is maintained in registration with liner 22 byadhesive sealant 26 as hereinbefore delineated without the benefit ofuncut portion 28 incorporated in the other embodiments. in thisconfiguration, a wholly die-cut U-shape lineament forms port 29' inliner 22 simultaneously with the opening of flap 23" which is anintegrally hinged portion of carton 21.

Referring now to FIG. 13, an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional viewof a line-of-weakening portion of yet another alternative embodiment ofthe instant invention is depicted before initial opening. This view issubstantially similar to FIGS. 3 and 4 of the preferred embodiment. Thisalternative embodiment comprises laminated liner material 89 having anoutermost ply 90 of fibrous material and another ply 91 of barriermaterial such as aluminum floil or the like.

in the laminated liner embodiment, H6. 13, adhesive sealant 26 must beselected from barrier materials with due regard for its interaction withlaminated liner material 89. Upon initial opening of closure 23,adhesive sealant 26 must either peel away from residual portion 32 ofliner 22 as hereinbefore described or cause a portion of the fibrous plyto separate from residual portion 32 of liner 22 without tearing barrierply 91 of residual portion 32 or otherwise impairing the plan viewdie-cut appearance of port 29 therethrough. FIG. 14 depicts a portion ofthe laminated liner embodiment of the instant invention after parting oninitial opening. In this instance, a portion of the fibrous outermostply 90 of liner material 89 is shown to have been separated fromresidual portion 32 of liner 22 in such a way that barrier ply 91 ofresidual portion 32 is not torn leaving the plan view die-cut appearanceon edge 92 of residual portion 32 substantially unimpaired. in order toinsure that the plan view die-cut appearance of edge 92 remainssubstantially unimpaired upon removal of panel 25, the tear strength ofply 91 must be greater than the separation strength of the fibrousoutermost ply 90, separation strength being defined as the forcerequired to cause fiber separation within the fibrous ply, or adhesivesealant 26 must otherwise part or peel away from liner 22 withouttearing ply 91.

An example of a satisfactory embodiment of the instant invention havinga laminated liner includes: closure 23 made of high impact polystyrene;laminated barrier material 89 comprising an outermost ply 90 of paperhaving a basis weight of 25 pounds per 3,000 sq. ft., air dried, adheredto a 0.00035 inch thick aluminum foil intermediate ply by a half milllayer of low density polyethylene and a 1 mill innermost ply of lowdensity polyethylene; and, hot melt adhesive sealant 26 designatedX371-335-02 which is available from Findley Adhesive Co., Milwaukee,Wis. The laminated barrier material is availabe from American Can Go,Greenwich, Conn.

It is anticipated that persons having ordinary skill in the art will beable to apply the teaching of the instant invention to devise yet otheralternative embodiments of the instant invention. Therefore, thedescriptions of the preferred embodiment and the alternative embodimentsare not intended to limit the scope of the instant invention. The termsused in describing the invention are used in their descriptive sense andare not intended to be terms of limitation.

What is claimed is:

1. A container comprising:

a. a carton having an aperture in one surface thereof,

b. a closure adapted to close said aperture in said car ton, saidclosure being formed of freshnesspreserving barrier material,

c. a product-containing liner comprising freshness preserving barriermaterial, said liner having a diecut portion wholly removed therefromforming a dispensing port in one wall thereof, said dispensing portbeing smaller than said aperture, said liner being received within saidcarton with the area of said liner bordering said dispensing port beingjuxtaposed the inwardly facing area of said closure,

d. liner restraining means securing said liner within said carton, and

e. an adhesive sealant of freshness-preserving barrier material bridgingsaid border area of said liner and said inwardly facing area of saidclosure forming an interconnection substantially as freshnesspreservingas said freshness-preserving barrier material of said liner and saidclosure, said sealant being selectively adhesive rendering said closurepartable from said liner without tearing the barrier material of eithersaid liner or said closure upon initially opening said closure.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said closure comprises transparentbarrier material in its area coincident with said dispensing port ofsaid liner.

3. A container comprising:

a. a carton having an aperture in one surface thereof;

b. a closure adapted to close said aperture in said carton, said closurehaving an inwardly facing securement surface;

c. a sealed product-containing liner comprising laminated materialhaving a plurality of plies including a ply of freshnesspreservingbarrier material, said liner further comprising a dispensing portforming portion and a residual portion, said port forming portion beingdefined by a die-cut perforate line of weakening, said liner beingreceived within said carton with said line of weakening contiguous saidsecurement surface;

d. liner restraining means interconnecting said residual portion of theliner with said carton; and,

e. a bridging adhesive sealant also comprising freshness-preservingbarrier material directly overlying said line of weakening and servingto interconnect said securement surface of said closure with the areasof said residual and port forming portions of said liner bordering saidline of weakening, said sealant bridging the entirety of said line ofweakening and thereby rendering it substantially as freshness-preservingas uncut portions of said liner, said sealant being selectively adhesiverendering said securement surface partable from said residual portion,and said sealant being sufficiently adhesive between said dispensingport forming portion of said liner and said securement surface to causeseparation along said line of weakening substantially simultaneously assaid securement surface parts from said border area of said residualportion upon opening of said closure, said laminated material havingsufficient tear strength to separate said dispensing port formingportion from said residual portion Without tearing the barrier ply ofsaid residual portion of said liner as said closure is initially openedwhereby said dispensing port thus formed in said liner has asubstantially unimpaired plan view die-cut lineament.

4. A container comprising:

a. a carton having an aperture in one surface thereof;

b, a closure adapted to close said aperture in said carton, said closurehaving an inwardly facing securement surface;

c. a sealed product-containing liner comprising freshness-preservingbarrier material, said liner further comprising a dispensing portforming portion and a residual portion, said port forming portion beingdefined by a single die-cut through said liner material, said linerbeing received within said carton with said single die-cut contiguoussaid securement surface;

d. liner restraining means interconnecting said residual portion of theliner with said carton; and,

e. a bridging adhesive sealant also comprising freshness-preservingbarrier material directly overlying said single die-cut and serving tointerconnect said securement surface of said closure with the areas ofsaid residual and port forming portions of said liner bordering saidsingle die-cut, said sealant bridging the entirety of said singledie-cut and thereby rendering it substantially as freshnesspreserving asuncut portions of said liner, said sealant being selectively adhesiverendering said securement surface partable from said residual portion,and said sealant being sufficiently adhesive between said dispensingport forming portion of said liner and said securement surface to causeseparation along said single die-cut substantially simultaneously assaid securement surface parts from said border area of said residualportion upon opening of said closure.

5. The container of claim 4 wherein said single diecut is endlesswhereby said dispensing port forming portion of said liner is whollydie-cut from said residual portion of said liner whereby it forms adispensing port having a wholly die-cut perimeter upon initial openingof said closure.

6. A container comprising:

a. a carton having an aperture in one surface thereof;

b. a closure adapted to close said aperture in said carton, said closurehaving an inwardly facing securement surface;

c. a sealed product-containing liner comprising freshness-preservingbarrier material, said liner comprising a dispensing port formingportion and a residual portion, said port forming portion being definedby a die-cut perforate line of weakening, said liner being receivedwithin said carton with said line of weakening contiguous saidsecurement surface;

d. liner restraining means interconnecting said residual portion of theliner with said carton; and,

e. a bridging adhesive sealant also comprising freshness-preservingbarrier material directly overlying said line of weakening and servingto interconnect said securement surface of said closure with the areasof said residual and port forming portions of said liner bordering saidline of weakening, said sealant bridging the entirety of said line ofweakening and thereby rendering it substantially as freshness-preservingas uncut portions of said liner, said adhesive sealant being selectivelyadhesive so that said securement surface is peelable from said area ofsaid residual portion of said liner bordering said line of weakeningduring initial opening of said container and said sealant beingsufficiently adhesive to interconnect said dispensing port formingportion of said liner with said securement surface of said closurestrongly enough to separate said line of weakening substantiallysimultaneously as said securement surface parts from said border area ofsaid residual portion during said initial opening of said closure.

7. The container of claim 6 wherein said closure is hingedly attached tosaid carton, said closure being configured to open outwardly only.

8. The container of claim 7 having a repeatably latchable-unlatchablemeans adapted to retain said closure in the closed position upon closinguntilunlatched and opened.

9. The container of claim 8 wherein one edge of said aperture in saidcarton is formed by folding a flap inwardly until a portion of itsinwardly facing surface is juxtaposed with an inwardly facing surface ofsaid carton, said flap having a plurality of transverse score linesformed therein which extend generally parallel to its proximal edge,said score lines adapted for forming said flap into a transverselyextending lip when said flap is folded inwardly, said closure having arounded nose adapted to co-act with said lip whereby said closure isreleasably latchable and said aperture can be repeatedly opened andclosed.

10. The container of claim 9 wherein a securement portion of saidinwardly folded flap extending from adjacent its distal edge isadhesively secured to said inwardly facing surface of said carton.

11. The container of claim 10 wherein said flap is a minor flap of saidcarton, said minor flap being narrower than the side of the carton towhich it is hinged and said aperture is disposed in the top panel ofsaid carton.

12. The container of claim 6 wherein said dispensing port is formed in aseamless portion of said liner.

13. The container of claim 12 wherein said liner restraining meanscomprises bands of adhesive intermediate the upper perimeter of saidresidual portion of said liner and said carton whereby said residualportion of said liner and said carton are maintained substantiallyspaced fixed relative to each other after being so secured.

* i l l U N ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION PatentNo. 3,768,719 Dated October 30, 1973 Inventofls) Charles ohnson It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 1, line 22, "bag-line" should be bag-like line 37, "a" should be Aline 65, "comprising" should be compromising Col. 4, line 49,"polyvinylidence" should be polyvinylidene Col. 9, line 49, "availabe"should be available Signed and sealed this 9th day of April 197b,.

(SEAL) Attest: EDWARD ILFLETCHER,JR C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting OfficerCommissioner of Patents

1. A container comprising: a. a carton having an aperture in one surfacethereof, b. a closure adapted to close said aperture in said carton,said closure being formed of freshness-preserving barrier material, c. aproduct-containing liner comprising freshness-preserving barriermaterial, said liner having a die-cut portion whOlly removed therefromforming a dispensing port in one wall thereof, said dispensing portbeing smaller than said aperture, said liner being received within saidcarton with the area of said liner bordering said dispensing port beingjuxtaposed the inwardly facing area of said closure, d. linerrestraining means securing said liner within said carton, and e. anadhesive sealant of freshness-preserving barrier material bridging saidborder area of said liner and said inwardly facing area of said closureforming an interconnection substantially as freshness-preserving as saidfreshnesspreserving barrier material of said liner and said closure,said sealant being selectively adhesive rendering said closure partablefrom said liner without tearing the barrier material of either saidliner or said closure upon initially opening said closure.
 2. Thecontainer of claim 1 wherein said closure comprises transparent barriermaterial in its area coincident with said dispensing port of said liner.3. A container comprising: a. a carton having an aperture in one surfacethereof; b. a closure adapted to close said aperture in said carton,said closure having an inwardly facing securement surface; c. a sealedproduct-containing liner comprising laminated material having aplurality of plies including a ply of freshness-preserving barriermaterial, said liner further comprising a dispensing port formingportion and a residual portion, said port forming portion being definedby a die-cut perforate line of weakening, said liner being receivedwithin said carton with said line of weakening contiguous saidsecurement surface; d. liner restraining means interconnecting saidresidual portion of the liner with said carton; and, e. a bridgingadhesive sealant also comprising freshness-preserving barrier materialdirectly overlying said line of weakening and serving to interconnectsaid securement surface of said closure with the areas of said residualand port forming portions of said liner bordering said line ofweakening, said sealant bridging the entirety of said line of weakeningand thereby rendering it substantially as freshness-preserving as uncutportions of said liner, said sealant being selectively adhesiverendering said securement surface partable from said residual portion,and said sealant being sufficiently adhesive between said dispensingport forming portion of said liner and said securement surface to causeseparation along said line of weakening substantially simultaneously assaid securement surface parts from said border area of said residualportion upon opening of said closure, said laminated material havingsufficient tear strength to separate said dispensing port formingportion from said residual portion without tearing the barrier ply ofsaid residual portion of said liner as said closure is initially openedwhereby said dispensing port thus formed in said liner has asubstantially unimpaired plan view die-cut lineament.
 4. A containercomprising: a. a carton having an aperture in one surface thereof; b. aclosure adapted to close said aperture in said carton, said closurehaving an inwardly facing securement surface; c. a sealedproduct-containing liner comprising freshness-preserving barriermaterial, said liner further comprising a dispensing port formingportion and a residual portion, said port forming portion being definedby a single die-cut through said liner material, said liner beingreceived within said carton with said single die-cut contiguous saidsecurement surface; d. liner restraining means interconnecting saidresidual portion of the liner with said carton; and, e. a bridgingadhesive sealant also comprising freshness-preserving barrier materialdirectly overlying said single die-cut and serving to interconnect saidsecurement surface of said closure with the areas of said residual andport forming portions of said liner bordering said single die-cut, saidsealant bridging the entirety of said single die-cut and therebyrendering it substantially as freshness-preserving as uncut portions ofsaid liner, said sealant being selectively adhesive rendering saidsecurement surface partable from said residual portion, and said sealantbeing sufficiently adhesive between said dispensing port forming portionof said liner and said securement surface to cause separation along saidsingle die-cut substantially simultaneously as said securement surfaceparts from said border area of said residual portion upon opening ofsaid closure.
 5. The container of claim 4 wherein said single die-cut isendless whereby said dispensing port forming portion of said liner iswholly die-cut from said residual portion of said liner whereby it formsa dispensing port having a wholly die-cut perimeter upon initial openingof said closure.
 6. A container comprising: a. a carton having anaperture in one surface thereof; b. a closure adapted to close saidaperture in said carton, said closure having an inwardly facingsecurement surface; c. a sealed product-containing liner comprisingfreshness-preserving barrier material, said liner comprising adispensing port forming portion and a residual portion, said portforming portion being defined by a die-cut perforate line of weakening,said liner being received within said carton with said line of weakeningcontiguous said securement surface; d. liner restraining meansinterconnecting said residual portion of the liner with said carton;and, e. a bridging adhesive sealant also comprising freshness-preservingbarrier material directly overlying said line of weakening and servingto interconnect said securement surface of said closure with the areasof said residual and port forming portions of said liner bordering saidline of weakening, said sealant bridging the entirety of said line ofweakening and thereby rendering it substantially as freshness-preservingas uncut portions of said liner, said adhesive sealant being selectivelyadhesive so that said securement surface is peelable from said area ofsaid residual portion of said liner bordering said line of weakeningduring initial opening of said container and said sealant beingsufficiently adhesive to interconnect said dispensing port formingportion of said liner with said securement surface of said closurestrongly enough to separate said line of weakening substantiallysimultaneously as said securement surface parts from said border area ofsaid residual portion during said initial opening of said closure. 7.The container of claim 6 wherein said closure is hingedly attached tosaid carton, said closure being configured to open outwardly only. 8.The container of claim 7 having a repeatably latchable-unlatchable meansadapted to retain said closure in the closed position upon closing untilunlatched and opened.
 9. The container of claim 8 wherein one edge ofsaid aperture in said carton is formed by folding a flap inwardly untila portion of its inwardly facing surface is juxtaposed with an inwardlyfacing surface of said carton, said flap having a plurality oftransverse score lines formed therein which extend generally parallel toits proximal edge, said score lines adapted for forming said flap into atransversely extending lip when said flap is folded inwardly, saidclosure having a rounded nose adapted to co-act with said lip wherebysaid closure is releasably latchable and said aperture can be repeatedlyopened and closed.
 10. The container of claim 9 wherein a securementportion of said inwardly folded flap extending from adjacent its distaledge is adhesively secured to said inwardly facing surface of saidcarton.
 11. The container of claim 10 wherein said flap is a minor flapof said carton, said minor flap being narrower than the side of thecarton to which it is hinged and said aperture is disposed in the toppanel of said carton.
 12. The container of claim 6 wherein saiddispensing port is formed In a seamless portion of said liner.
 13. Thecontainer of claim 12 wherein said liner restraining means comprisesbands of adhesive intermediate the upper perimeter of said residualportion of said liner and said carton whereby said residual portion ofsaid liner and said carton are maintained substantially spaced fixedrelative to each other after being so secured.